The use of tubular members extending through and welded to side frames of a rail car truck is known, as disclosed in a patent to McMullen U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,311. Generally, in this patent and many prior art systems, the tubular members fit through openings in the side frames and welded thereto. The members are then used to support brake mechanisms, such as tread brakes, for contacting the wheels of the rail car during braking operations.
Because the tubular members are welded directly to the side frames, the weld area between the tubular member and side frames is limited to the diameters of the tubular members. Consequently, excessive forces may tend to crack or break the weld joints.
There have been patents which are directed towards increasing the weld areas between two parts to make the weld joints stronger and minimize the likelihood of such joints cracking. Such patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,216,033; 4,348,041; 3,833,245 and 4,423,890. While increasing the weld areas, these patents do not deal with the special problems relating to tubular members welded to side frames in a rail car truck and adapted to hold relatively heavy loads, such as tread brakes.